There is no lower feeling for a hockey player than scoring on his own net. Sticks get broken in fits of self-loathing, egos get bruised; It just isn’t pretty, and nothing can be more embarrassing. Unless, of course, said player scores said goal during a delayed penalty call against the opposing team.
Enter Shane O’Brien.
During last night’s Vancouver/Coyotes game Viktor Tikhonov was caught perpetrating the dreaded hook and as soon as Phoenix touched the puck he was on his way to the box. Simple, eh? Not so much. Just inside the Vancouver blue line Tikhonov knocked down an outlet pass but never gained control, and as Shane O’Brien swung his stick at it in an effort to keep the play going he slapped that little piece of vulcanized rubber toward his recently vacated net. What happened next will be studied, pondered over and dissected for years to come. Don’t believe me? Just watch.
Unfortunately for the Coyotes the moment was bittersweet, because while Tikhonov got credit for the goal he still had to serve the penalty he was originally called for. Talk about sticking it in and breaking it off. The Yotes went on to win the game 5-1, and the four-goal margin of victory was the largest for Phoenix this season. Said Tikhonov about his whiff that was:
“That’s definitely a first for me. I was actually wondering, ‘did that count?’ I didn’t know to celebrate or not.”
Celebrate my friend. Celebrate.